Desmonde Associates Briefs Scottish Government Permanent Secretary on Conservation Works to St Andrew’s House
Adam Desmonde, Managing Director of Desmonde Associates briefed the Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government on progress made with the conservation and heritage works underway at the Category A Listed building St Andrew’s House, headquarters of the Scottish Government.
St Andrew’s House sits in one of the most prominent positions in Edinburgh and forms a key part of the cities internationally famous skyline and Desmonde Associates is proud to be working to preserve the heritage of Scotland for future generations.
Adam Desmonde, Managing Director, Desmonde Associates briefing John-Paul Marks (Scot Gov Permanent Secretary) on ongoing conservation works to the South Boundary Wall, St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh, Scotland.
“As part of the ongoing conservation works to St Andrew’s House it is important that key stakeholders are kept up to date on current progress and of any important discoveries made during the most recent phase of works.” said Adam Desmonde, Managing Director, Desmonde Associates.
An important part of the conservation process is not just undertaking repair works but also documenting the condition of the asset before works are begun. Our extensive library of reference photos built up over several decades of working to preserve St Andrew’s House is a unique resource drawn on by our partners working on site.
The South Boundary Wall is the most historically significant part of the whole site of St Andrew’s House, dating back to the 18th century and having served as the curtain wall for two of Edinburgh’s most notorious prisons (read more here), it now forms the retaining wall for the Scottish Government headquarters.
Historic image of Calton Jail from the Edinburgh Old Town
St Andrew’s House from Edinburgh old Town occupying the same site as Calton Jail
“Given the extremely significant nature of the South Boundary Wall we had to source a team of stone masons with extensive experience in dealing with heritage structures.
“Every stone along the South Boundary Wall has been painstakingly re-pointed by hand using a historic lime-based mix and where necessary individual stones had to be sourced from a quarry and lifted into place using a tack and pully system, with some of the stones weighing up to 250kg.
“At Desmonde Associates we are proud to work with specialist local firms with the necessary skills to maintain such historic structures.” said Adam Desmonde, Managing Director, Desmonde Associates.